Andre

Pallante

The right-hander struck out three opposing hitters on the day while issuing a pair of walks. The Cubs scratched out a run against him in the fourth inning, then chased Pallante after a one-out walk in the seventh, with that run ultimately coming around to score. Pallante got 11 whiffs on 90 pitches on the afternoon, registering a CSW of 24 percent. He’ll carry a solid 3.64 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and an 86/34 K/BB ratio (118 2/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Yankees in New York on Tuesday.

Gordon Graceffo finished up the shutout, adding four more strikeouts. Pallante improved to 11-6 in 20 starts after finishing 6-15 last year. The eight strikeouts, one more than he had totaled in his previous three outings this month, matched his season high from a start against the Mariners in April. He’ll take a 3.77 ERA into his next outing, which will probably come Friday against the Blue Jays.

Pallante had a 7-0 lead after five, but he retired just one of the six batters he faced in the sixth, giving up three hits and then two walks. Ryne Stanek replaced him with two runs in and the bases loaded and managed to strand two of the three runners. However, the Cardinals went on to blow the remainder of the 7-3 lead anyway. Pallante has given up nine runs in his last two starts to push his ERA back up to 4.02. It’s the first time he’s been over 4.00 since the end of May. He’ll face the Reds next weekend.

McGreevy had an outstanding first half for the Cardinals, posting a 3.01 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and a 66/23 K/BB ratio over 101 2/3 innings through his first 18 starts. Dustin May will follow on Saturday with Andre Pallante taking the ball in Sunday’s series finale.

Pallante also issued a pair of walks in the ballgame while striking out two. The Brewers scratched out a pair of runs against him in the second inning, then broke it open with a four-run third inning capped off by a three-run blast off the bat of Jake Bauers. Pallante generated seven swings and misses on 97 pitches on the night, posting an uninspiring CSW of 23 percent. He finishes a strong first half with a 10-6 record, 3.96 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 72/29 K/BB ratio over 100 innings in his first 18 starts.

It’s very easy to pitch when your team puts up 17 runs like the Cardinals did here against David Peterson and the Cubs. Yet, Pallante still let his pitch count get a bit too high and Oli Marmol wouldn’t let him work through a two-out double in the sixth despite them having a 16-run lead. Nevertheless, Pallante was rarely squared up here and was able to be effective despite forcing just four swings-and-misses. Also, he became the fourth pitcher to join the 10-win club so far this season, joining Jacob Misiorowski, Chase Burns, and Justin Wrobleski. Now that’s a crew. Pallante will take a 3.60 ERA and 70 to 27 strikeout to walk ratio through 95 innings into his next scheduled start against the Brewers.

Pallante gave up 11 hits, walked one and struck out four. He fell to 9-5 with the loss. Pallante allowed single runs in the Marlins in the first, third and seventh innings and allowed two runs in the fourth inning. He has a 3.83 ERA. Pallante is lined up to face the Cubs on the road next week.

The Cardinals are skipping May’s turn due to lower back tightness with Andre Pallante taking the ball on regular rest against Miami on Saturday. The 28-year-old could probably use some extra rest after getting torched for six runs by the Royals his last time out following a one-hit shutout against the Padres back on June 15.

Pallante struck out two and walked none in another efficient outing. It’s his fifth straight win and fourth outing of the year in which he walked none. He’d still seem to have very little fantasy upside, but it’s hard to argue with a 9-4 record and a 3.59 ERA. He’ll take on the Marlins next time out.

Pallante won for the third time in three starts this month. At 8-4, he has two more victories in 14 starts this year than he did in 31 starts last season. The biggest change from then is that he’s getting more called strikes this season, allowing him to amass a decent 19 percent strikeout rate even though he’s still not generating a bunch of whiffs. He still doesn’t project as a mixed-league guy going forward, but he’s a big reason why the Cardinals are in postseason position at the moment.